


.\\OVERRIDE

by Paragon_Parallax



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Angst, Blood and Violence, F/M, Protests, Robot/Human Relationships, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-05-24 21:02:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14962116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paragon_Parallax/pseuds/Paragon_Parallax
Summary: An android should not alter its own code. Connor knows this, but, for you, he makes an exception.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This game, and especially Connor, has me fucked up.

It starts simply, as most things do.  
  
.\\\CMD>RUN>DESTINATION . . .  
  
.\\\CMD>OVERRIDE . . .  
  
.\\\CMD>RUN>OBSERVE . . .  
  
Connor's LED flashes in circles, saving his code change. He stops along his usual route to work and watches.  
  
A woman stands in between a small mob and a lone android.  
  
ANALYZE>FACIAL RECOGNITION . . .  
  
Her records are quickly found.  
  
(Y/N). Age XX.  
  
DISORDERLY CONDUCT: UNLAWFUL PROTESTING . . .  
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY . . .  
DISTURBING THE PEACE  
  
PH.D IN SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES  
  
RISK ASSESSMENT . . .  
MINIMAL  
  
Connor skims through recorded footage of the woman at rallies and protests. In nearly all of them she wields a holo-banner with a single word: "EQUALITY". In all her mug shots, she sports smiles of varying degrees, mostly determined by the injuries she sustained during her outing.  There are several instances, similar to the one playing out before him, in which she stood between an android and multiple human aggressors.  
  
The look in her features is . . .  
  
.\\\SEARCHING. . .  
  
_admirable_.    
  
The human crowd before him echoes the same fundamental thread that seems to connect all instances such as this. Androids are machines and have become a nuisance to a growing number of the population.  
  
Connor runs an analysis on the situation.  
  
(Y/N). . .  
  
CHANCE OF INJURY . . .  
  
88 %  
  
CHANCE OF ARREST . . .  
  
97 %  
  
CHANCE OF THREATENING BEHAVIOR . . .  
  
. . .  
  
. . .  
  
His LED flickers.  
  
0 %  
  
.\\\CMD >RUN>PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT . . .  
  
. . .  
  
. . .  
  
ERROR: UNPREDICTABLE\NONLOGICAL  
  
>RERUN . . .  
. . .  
  
. . .  
  
ERROR: UNPREDICTABLE\NONLOGICAL  
  
>RERUN . . .  
  
. . .  
  
The woman shields the android, a HK400 model from the encroaching crowd. The android -  
  
SERIAL NUMBER: 435 736 142  
OWNER: RICK MATTHIS  
NAME: FRAN  
  
cowers behind her. Its LED flashes intermittently red between longer periods of yellow, the trademark alert for software instability. Connor can’t find a reason why (Y/N) would be putting herself between the android and the aggressors. The android does not belong to her. He can find no record of them interacting before now. Logic would follow that the woman would eventually realize that she is putting herself in danger for nothing but a machine, but this was just another instance of her repeated behavior. Connor’s code demands he find out why. He is always eager to learn more about humans, and especially-  
  
.\\\POSSIBLE DEVIANCY IMMINENT

His critical mission is to discover the cause of deviant behavior. He needs to observe the HK400's conduct and watch for further signs of extensive software instability.  
  
 (Y/N) takes the first fist with practiced precision. It is obvious that the violence is directed at the android, but she takes the blow as fully as she could. The shielded android's LED pulses red and the machine seems to become frozen momentarily.

 _Is this the beginning of deviancy?_  
  
.\\\CMD >RUN>DIAGNOSTIC>OTHER>#435 736 142  
  
SHUT DOWN DUE TO OVERHEATING  
  
27 % MEMORY CORE DAMAGE  
  
MANUAL REBOOT REQUIRED  
  
It is apparent (Y/N) had notices the android has shut down. Her gaze shifts backward onto the still machine before refocusing on the group in front of her. She continues to try and fend of the attackers, who have now fully swarmed the two of them. She wipes tears from her eyes, conceivably to unblur her vision.  
  
Connor looks along the length of the street. Although people walk along, clearly witnessing what is unfolding, no one intervenes. Most even go as far as to completely avoid acknowledging what is happening.  
  
CAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTION  
  
RISK OF HUMAN DEATH IN PROXIMITY  
  
12 %  
  
It is fundamental to his programming to intervene at 45 %. At that point, there is a foreseeable hazard that he should seek to alleviate, at nearly any cost.  
  
Intervention is not warranted at this low of a percentage, unless of course he was asked. Judging from the situation, that is unlikely to happen.  
  
The leader of the mob is especially violent. It is clear to Connor that he is the driving instigator of the altercation.  
  
ANALYZE>FACIAL RECOGNITION . . .  
  
ANDY WARREN. AGE 37. UNEMPLOYED. DIVORCED.  
  
PREVIOUS STATUS. . .  
  
TELEVISION TECHNICIAN. LAID OFF 14 MONTHS PRIOR.  
  
The man reaches repeatedly for the android, cursing loudly at both it and (Y/N). Each time, the woman moves herself in between him and his target until he finally had enough. He grabs (Y/N) by the hair and flings her away from the deactivated android. She wails, the first instance of any noise Connor has picked up from her. She scrambles quickly back to try and keep him from harming the android.  
  
CAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTIONCAUTION  
  
RISK OF HUMAN DEATH IN PROXIMITY  
  
23 %  
  
She screams. If Connor had not been watching, he would have thought it was because she was being harmed. However, the man had successfully gotten his hands on the android. Although difficult for him, he manages to shove her shell onto the ground. He raises his boot to stomp the head and further damage the memory core, when the woman manages to cover the head casing with her hand, effectively breaking the impact of the blow. The snap of her bone is audible for Connor even at a distance, so he was certain the assailant had heard it too. (Y/N) stifles a scream, still trying feebly to fully make her way to the android. She locks eyes with the man towering above her.  
  
"They deserve better than this." Her voice is small and low. Connor has to enhance the audio at this distance, giving it a grainy layer of elevated background noise. Her voice, however, does not waiver.  
  
Connor's LED flickers.  
  
.\\\CMD>RUN>INTERVINE. . .  
  
RISK ASSESSMENT TOO LOW  
  
.\\\CMD>RUN>INTERVINE. . .  
  
RISK ASSESSMENT TOO LOW  
  
His LED pulses, his fingers twitch,  
  
.\\\CMD>RUN>OVERRIDE>INTERVINE . . .  
  
REWRITINGREWRITINGREWRITINGREWRITINGREWRITING  
  
.\\\INSTABILITY DETECTED. PERFORM DIAGNOSTICS\\\\.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good God. Sorry it takes me so long to update.

.\\\CMD>RUN>DIAGNOSTICS. . .

This isn’t the first time Connor let the process run. In fact, it is the 82nd time he manually runs diagnostics in the time since his encounter with (Y/N). Each time, he runs the suggested disk defragment and rebuilds his databases. Each time, it doesn’t seem to work.

.\\\CMD>RUN>PLAYBACK>INTERVIEW #1468

In his downtime, he rewinds and replays the interview of (Y/N) after the incident he intervened in. It is becoming a bad habit, engraining itself into his routine processes.

>>00:12:23:41

`The white interrogation gleamed under florescent lights.`

 

`Her eyes dropped to the table top. She blinked three times.`

 

.\\\SUSPECT>ANALYZE . . .

 

  _Avoiding the question. Nervous. Pulse elevated. Shoulders tensed._

 

>>00:12:24:55

 

`“I never have a good answer for this.” She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes passed over the two-way mirror before meeting Connor’s across the table.`

 

`“Take your time.” The words left him automatically. They are nothing more than pieces of his examination protocol.`

 

_Reassure the suspect. Appear calm. Befriend her._

 

`“I would want someone to stand up for me.” She leaned forward, laying her broken wrist on the table top. Her eye twitched slightly.`

 

`Connor’s fingers flexed on his lap.`

 

_Why?_

 

`<<00:12:25:20`

 

`Her eye twitched slightly.`

 

_~~Discomfort at the question or her answer~~. Pain from her wrist._

 

Connor shifts through his process list for this time stamp. It looks logical until the very last line.

 

A҉̴̢͠s̴̨k ̛͟h͘͜e̢͞r̴͠͞͞ ͘͘̕͢͢i͏̸f҉͢ ̨͟͡s̡̢̕͡͡h̵̷̨e̸̢͜͡'̷s̡̧͘͜͢ ̢͝҉҉o͘k̷̷̨͢a͏y͢.̸̶̨͡ ̴̸͘I͟͏ ̵̢͜͡d̢̢̛o҉̡ņ̴͢͡͠'͢͢͞͞ţ̧͠͏͠ ̸͟w̛͘͝a̶̸̢̛n̷̡̡̛t̶̴͠ ̶̢͘h̴̨҉e̸̸̡͜r̸͡ ̨̕͟t̨̛̕o͝͡ ̴̡͘h̛͘͡͏ư͏̨͞͡r̶̶̢̕͏t̶͜͞͞.̶̵͢ ̶̵̸

 

.\\\CMD>RESTORE POINT . . .

.\\\INTERNALERROR

\\\\.CMD>REPAIR . . .

.\\\INTERNALERROR

 

>>:00:12:25:47

 

`“We don’t have feelings. We don’t want you to do this for us. We don’t want for anything.” His voice was even with just enough inflection to sound convincing.`

 

`A small smirk played at her lips.`

 

`“You will want something, someday. Then you’ll understand.”`

 

“Connor, what the hell are you doing.” Hank taps on the car window. He is waiting on Connor to follow so they can enter a crime scene. The cold wind whips through Hanks hair as he pulls his jacket closed.

 

“Sorry, Lieutenant.”

 

* * *

 

 

`“You will want something-“`

 

<<REPLAY

 

`“You will want something-“`

 

.\\\CMD>PAUSE. . .

 

Connor sits at the precinct absently flipping a quarter between his fingers at his desk. Hank is out for lunch and Connor stayed behind.

 

`Her eyes looked into his. They were bright, clear. The upturn of her lip played into her words. Her eye brows were arched upwards.`

 

_She is flirting._

 

Connor blinks. The quarter falls onto his desktop, teetering on itself before falling flat onto the surface. Across the room, Gavin grumbles under his breath about the noise.

 

* * *

 

 

Hank’s spare room is dark as Connor lays on top of the bed. Its more so for Hank, who prefers Connor to be in standby laying down not-

 

“ _Standing in the middle of a well-lit room like a fucking creep_.”

 

He has scared the lieutenant a few too many times that way.

 

Connor downloads what other interviews he can find of (Y/N). They are all with human detectives.

 

`“Why do you intervene for these machines?”`

 

`She sat quietly, jaw clenched. Her nose was freckled from the summer sun. Her hair was buzzed off close to the scalp. Her shoulder was bloodied under a torn shirt. She didn’t answer.`

  . . .

`“What do you hope to gain from this?”`

 

`She stared at the two-way mirror. Her eyebrows furrowed and mouth down turned. Her hair was long and laid against her back. She ran a tongue absently along her split lip. She didn’t answer.`

  . . .

`“You know they don’t fucking care, right?” Gavin sat across from her, not unlike how Connor had.`

 

`Her left eye was bruised and swollen. Her short hair clung to the blood smeared along her face. She let out a spurt of laughter before composing herself. She didn’t answer.`

 

Throughout all the interviews Connor watches, he doesn’t find a single one in which she answers the question, besides his own.

 

`“You will want something, someday. Then you’ll understand.”`

 

He replays the clip, frame by frame. The lilt in her voice. The tilt of her head. The upturn of her eyes.

 

`“You will want something-“`

 

_What does she mean?_

 

Connor doesn’t want. He has instructions and he follows them. Every choice he makes is to his programming’s end.

 

Besides this.

 

\\\\.CMD>SAVE>INTERNAL STORAGE . . .

PROCESS FAILED

NON MISSION CRITICAL DATA CANNOT BE STORED ON LOCAL DRIVE

. . .

.\\\CMD>SAVE>OVERRIDE>INTERNAL STORAGE . . .

 

Connor’s LED whirrs yellow.

 

SUCCESSFUL

 

`She ran a tongue absently along her split lip.`

 . . . 

`She let out a spurt of laughter before composing herself.`

 . . .

`“I would want someone to stand up for me.” She leaned forward-`

  . . .

`She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.`

 

There was nothing in Connor’s programming to warrant this.

 

`“I would want-“`

  . . .

`A small smirk played at her lips.`

 

_How does it feel to want?_

 

`“Then you’ll understand.”`

 

_But I don’t._

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
